Story of Our Lives
by Atreyl
Summary: Once upon a time, fate brought a young redheaded boy to an orphanage called Wammy's. At that time, he didn't know what kind of love, drama, and sinister plot he'd just gotten himself into.
1. Prologue: Fairytale

**Story of Our Lives**

**{Prologue: Fairytale}**

'Once upon a time.'

The words that marked the beginning of a fairytale. Fairytales...faraway lands of noble princes, damsels in distress, and magical creatures, talking, singing. Fairytales were made up and told for several different reasons. The most common one is to hide how cruel life really can be. Instead of opening our eyes to the natural disasters, the diseases, the wars, we resort to listening to whimsical stories and believing that one day we will have our happily ever after.

Fairytales.

They were sweet, and often consisted of a heroic prince who rescues the fair princess locked in a tower. Normally, children of young age enjoyed listening to such stories. However, for six-year old Mail Jeevas, fairytales were stupid, useless. They only raised hopes, and once you were full-on believing in that happily ever after concept, reality crushed you.

Most six-year-olds had loving parents who provided for them and cared for them. At night, the parents tucked their child in and sometimes would tell a bedtime story. Before they'd leave your room and turn the light off, they would drop a kiss on your forehead. And the next morning, they gently wake you up, because it's the first day of school, and they're really proud of you. They help you get dressed into proper clothing and once you're ready, you grab your backpack that you've filled with supplies a while back, and you're driven to school. There, the teachers are really nice, and so are the students. The day passes and it seems to be the time of your life. When your parents come to pick you up at the end of the day, you gush at how you already know how to properly write your name, and they smile and nod approvingly along.

Mail Jeevas only had himself to trust and rely on. At night, he went to sleep, mostly with tears leaking from his eyes, because his parents have been drinking again and they slapped him once or twice, in the process giving him verbal abuse. The light would always be on since the boy was convinced monsters would come to eat him, though his parents yelled at him for wasting energy and that they were already paying enough on food. The following morning would seem to be the best part of the day, because his parents would have hangovers and they would be passed out on the couch where they'd been fighting last night. Mail Jeevas eats 'breakfast,' which is a banana and half a cup of orange juice, then takes a while to find clean clothes. He finds his favorite shirt: black and white, striped, and long sleeved. It was the only thing he had from his mother(his _real _mother, not the woman who his dad married after he _killed _her). He grabs his backpack, ragged and mostly empty("We're not wasting money on supplies for your fuckin' school, because hell would freeze over before a thing like _you _would actually learn something!"). The walk to his preschool is short, thankfully, and he arrives with time to spare. He unpacks quickly and without a word, walks over to his desk and opens up his sketchpad. There's a red crayon in front of him and he grabs for it...only a bigger hand has already taken it. An older boy sneers down at him, and on the first day of school, Mail Jeevas gets a black eye from a bully.

Do not despair. Not all children were born under such cruel circumstances, although you have to agree that everyone, at some point in their life, experiences something that would change their life.

Mihael Keehl, six years old, was living a happy and content life. He had parents that loved him dearly, that cared for him properly. His mother raised Mihael to be kind and caring, while his father also taught him how to be dependent on himself. Mihael trained himself to be physically and emotionally strong. He controlled his feelings well and made sure they never clouded his judgement. But then that life-changing experience happened, too soon, too fast. The next thing the blond knew, he was lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen(he could smell the pancakes his mother was making burning) and the man who had killed his parents was standing above him, butcher knife in hand. And then the police were bursting in(he could still hear his neighbor screaming "911! Somebody, help!") and someone was gathering him in his arms and there was a searing pain in his shoulder. Then the world went black, as if someone turned off the lights, and Mihael went unconscious. He woke up only to be told that his parents hadn't made it, and he was going to be placed in an orphanage for gifted children, because unknown to him, his parents had been watching him for potentials of a gifted child. All they had to do now was to test him, and he numbly obliged, passing the test with flying colors. Yet, Mihael didn't care, and the day he was dumped into that wretched orphanage, Mihael disappeared and Mello was born. Gone was the child two proud parents raised. Manners were forgotten, views of the world altered. He was no longer caring and kind; he turned vicious, though not totally evil. He still wore the crucifix his mother gave him, and prayed nightly.

Two boys with completely different personalities: one weak and unstable, the other cold and too proud. Different childhoods, too, but simultaneously the same. They both had gone through pain no child of a young age should ever have had gone through, and they made it.

Two different boys, yet somehow, they would meet, become--

No, let's not get too far. They do, in fact, meet, so let's focus on that one stormy night when Mail Jeevas decided he'd had enough. And the moment he had pulled on his jacket, grabbed his backpack and stole out the window, the two boys' fate, though they didn't know it, were sealed.

* * *

**One of the most serious things I've ever written. **

**I plan for this to start from how they met, up until they're working on the Kira investigation. Chapter 1 will be up soon, but don't expect fast updates for this fic. Like some of you know, I have other multi-chaptered stories I still need to update, so I'll be working on those before my grandfather arrives this Tuesday. He's staying for a month, so I'm not sure how much free time I'll have to spend on the laptop.**

**Feedback is appreciated. :)**

**.A  
**


	2. Chapter 1: Runaway

**{Chapter 1: Runaway}**

Mail Jeevas was afraid that he'd only get about three meters away from his house, then turn back around and go back to the miserable life he had. He was tempted to do so as he reached the big apple tree, where he used to play with his mother.

"No," Mail said firmly, more to himself. "I'm not going back, ever."

That man had killed his mother. Maybe if he got to the police, Mail could tell them what happened and his father would be arrested...

That was nearly impossible. There were no nearby police stations, or, as a matter of fact, towns. His father had probably chosen this place so he wouldn't get caught.

_Well, I'm going to go as far as I need to to get a hold of the police and tell them and you'll be arrested, _Mail thought with a slight hint of pride. He adjusted the backpack on his shoulder before continuing on in the drenching rain.

It was a while until his house was finally erased from the horizon, but only because trees had taken its place. Mail was shivering, his striped shirt soaked inside out, and his ratty jeans were no different. A cold, wet mop of red hair stuck to his forehead. He was sure he was going to get a cold in the morning.

If he survived until then.

The rain slowly began to recede, though Mail wasn't sure if that was because of the trees that hung overhead. Whatever the reason, he was thankful that he wasn't being poured upon by buckets and buckets of freezing water. He found a rather large tree and sat himself down against it. Setting his backpack in front of him, he searched through what little supplies he had.

The largest thing in there was the folded shirt, an extra he'd brought along just in case. Two granola bars and a chunk of bread sat next to it, along with a clean toothbrush. There were two water bottles filled with orange juice and a pair of goggles, orange tinted with black straps.

Mail frowned. Did he remember putting them in there? No, he'd never seen them before, nor seen his parents wear them. Perhaps they've been there the whole time?

Whatever the reason, he was sure that it belonged to his parents, so he shoved it back in the bag, refusing to look at it any further. He also put away all of the other things, pausing only to take a drink from his orange juice.

Night settled in. The light that had been filtering through the trees slowly faded, and Mail felt bad for only getting so far. There was no doubt his parents would be looking for him now. What if they found him?

No, probably not. His father didn't care and his mother was deathly afraid to step outside, the paranoid woman.

So Mail convinced himself he'd be okay. In the morning he'd get up bright and early and he would keep going. There. That was a good plan.

As cicadas began to chirp noisily, the six-year-old boy spread himself on the grassy floor. His clothes were still a little wet; parts of his striped shirt clung to his skin, and his pants were awfully heavy from all the precipitation it had soaked up.

_One, two, three, four, five._

He began to count the leaves on the trees that protected him. As he neared seventy-five, his eyelids were heavy. Hugging his backpack close, Mail fell asleep.

--

Mihael--_Mello_; Mihael was not present anymore-- stared down, smirking at the younger orphan on the floor. The poor boy was holding his nose as rivulets of blood dripped down on the nicely carpeted floor.

"Mello!"

Okay, so punching someone when they were right outside of Roger's office probably wasn't the _smartest _idea. But Mello didn't care; that boy had just told him he looked like a girl! He deserved to be punched.

"Go to your room. Now," Roger said in his best stern voice. Mello could sense a sick feeling of joy underlying the old man's tone and he was tempted to deck the man also.

"Yes, _daddy_," Mello sneered, brushing past the two people. It was nine minutes to curfew, anyway. Besides, he would sneak out once everyone was asleep; he was running out of chocolate.

Absentmindedly eating said treat, Mello retreated into his room--his own room, at least until Roger found another dumb kid to dump in the room with the blond-- and sat on his bed. He waited for some time until, finally, the lights in the hallway went off and he heard the sounds of other doors being closed.

Mello let a few more minutes slide, just to be safe. He knew Roger roamed the hallway and made sure everyone was asleep after lights-out.

After feigning sleep when Roger peeked in his room, he kicked off his sneakers. They were slightly wet--he had, after all, stepped in a puddle of blood as he walked by that kid earlier.

The six-year-old carefully opened his door, making sure not to open it too slow because it creaked. A bare foot came out, followed by another, then a torso and finally a head. Mello closed the door behind him and walked down the hall, quiet as a mouse.

He stepped over that spot in front of BB's room, the spot that loudly creaked. "Hey," a quiet voice said.

Mello turned, grinning at his best friend. "Yo. Care to join my kitchen raiding?" He gestured to the kitchen invitingly.

"You know the answer." Beyond Birthday grinned back, his unusually red eyes glinting in the dim light. He grabbed Mello's hand and began to walk down the hall, taking his time. The hand-holding was a brotherly gesture; both boys considered the other as brothers, even though they weren't by blood.

There was an inviting scent of pancakes as the chefs made tomorrow's breakfast in advance. When Mello and BB arrived, they were finishing up and about to leave. Once the chefs were out of the room, Mello stepped in. He inhaled the nice smell of warm food, especially the cookies that were sitting innocently on the counter, probably leftovers from today's lunch. The chefs had forgotten to put it back.

_Their loss, my gain, _BB and Mello thought at the same time. They each reached for a cookie and continued to search the kitchen for their addictions.

Soon, Mello found the cupboard that contained chocolate--each time Roger found out about their stealing food from the kitchen, he hid the chocolate a different place. BB found his beloved jars of jam and took three.

"Got yours, Mel?" He looked around.

"Just a little more..." Mello was trying to grab as many chocolate bars as he could. "'kay, got 'em."

The two made their way out of the kitchen, avoiding the places on the floor where the floorboards creaked. They'd memorized the spots by heart.

"Night," BB whispered, slinking back to his own room.

"Night, B." Mello waved before continuining down further the hall to his own room. Before retreating into the welcoming room, he listened for the familiar, barely noticable noise of a window being opened.

Mello knew BB sneaked off House grounds at night, but his best friend never told him, and when the subject came up in a conversation, BB smoothly managed to switch the subject.

Mello sighed softly, going in his room and closing the door shut behind him. He put his newfound chocolate in his bedside drawer and crawled into the warm fleece blankets. Mello managed to doze off in a few minutes.

His dream was strange; it wasn't the usual recollections of picnics in the park with his parents. Instead, he was by himself, walking in a forest. There was a big tree in front of him and a little kid lying down beside it.

The weird part was that the kid woke up and stared at Mello, who gaped at the bright mass of red hair. The strange boy opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off with a knock.

Mello's eyes snapped open.

_Tap, tap, tap._

It was coming from his window. Suspicious, Mello peeked out from his covers and looked at his window across the room. He was half-expecting the weird boy from his dream, though the red pair of eyes told him otherwise. Beyond Birthday.

Mello scrambled out of bed. What was his friend doing out there?!

"Beyond," the blond hissed, prying open his window and trying to be quiet in the process. "What are you--"

"Look what I found," BB said excitedly, his eyes flashing in excitement. He climbed through Mello's window, and Mello saw what was in his arms: a little redheaded boy.

* * *

**For this story, BB is still alive and is the same age as Mello and Matt.**


	3. Chapter 2: Strangers

**{Chapter 2: Strangers}**

Mail awoke to the sight of a white ceiling. Realizing he obviously wasn't in the forest anymore, he bolted upright, hands fisting soft material.

The light hit him with so much force that he winced and squeezed his eyes shot, a hand coming up to shield his eyes. The other groped blindly for something to use as a cover. Clumsy fingers felt something plastic and grabbed it, snapping the thing onto his eyes in replace of his hand.

Mail opened his eyes and visibly relaxed. The world was now tinted orange, not the bright, scary, intimidating one. Just plain orange.

Even though the goggles were the ones he'd found earlier, he didn't care and looked around, eyes adjusting. He was in a bed, though the orange lenses made it hard to tell what color it was. The room wasn't too big and was tightly packed, the bed taking up most of the space. On the far right corner stood a wooden side table. A fancy vase stood proud with flowers in it; Mail recognized them as irises, though they were probably fake. The flowers' purple glow was dimmer than it should have been.

The smell of jam invaded his nose before he could observe any farther. Mail curiously glanced around. Did monsters ever smell like jam?

A glance at the half-opened window told him it was daylight. It couldn't be a monster; they didn't come out during the day. Just to check anyway, Mail leaned over to his side to check underneath the bed. He was expecting his shoes lying innocently there for he was barefoot. He _did _find a pair of shoes.

Attached to two legs.

Mail screamed, jerking back quickly into the soft mattress. The bed creaked in protest, but Mail ignored it and pulled the covers over his head. If he closed his eyes for a really long time, the monster would be gone. It always worked before, so it should work now. However, when the redhead opened his eyes, he only found the covers pulled away from him and someone leaning over his thin frame.

_Red._

That was the first thing Mail noticed about the stranger. Bright, red eyes that were more crimson than Mail's hair. Mail realized this was the person who had taken him last night.

"You okay?" The stranger smiled lazily. Mail now noticed the boy's jet black hair that looked unfathomable. "I didn't mean to scare you, Red."

"My name's not Red," Mail managed.

The stranger laughed, and it sounded unnatural. "Okay, how about telling me what it is, then?"

Mail bit his lip. He was in a strange room, in a strange bed, in strange clothes(he was now aware that his striped shirt had been replaced with a brown one), and a stranger that wanted to know his name.

_Lie._

"Matt," he said softly.

The other boy raised an eyebrow as if he knew that the redhead was lying. "Well, okay then. I'll go get Roger now." He turned to go.

"Wait!" Mail said, stilling the red-eyed boy. "I, um, wanted to know where my striped shirt was." The red eyes stared at him, making him avert his eyes to the bed. He didn't like feeling that this weird boy could read him like an open book.

"Oh, that?" Said boy looked bored. "It was too dirty, so the nurses threw it away."

"W-what?" Mail stammered. He frantically searched for a clue that the boy was joking.

"Sorry." The boy walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Mail sat there for several minutes, silently willing himself not to cry. He could get his shirt back. Yes, yes, he probably could. He'd sneak out and find the dumpster--surely that wouldn't be too hard, right?

Well, it _could _pose a challenge, but Mail wanted nothing more than the comfort of having something of his mother's to be nearby.

Mail slid off the bed, feeling the cold, marble floor come in contact with his feet. He uncertainly made his way to the door, glancing back only once. That weird boy wouldn't be back so soon. They wouldn't notice. Anyway, he had been brought here against his will. It was only reasonable to try and escape.

Nodding to himself idly, Mail wandered along empty halls. As far as he could tell, no one inhabited this part of the place. "Hello? Do you have my shirt?" Mail peeked in one of the rooms and found nothing. "Hello? Anyone?" He continued down the row of doors, and, finally, when he'd checked the last one, he sat on the floor in frustration. "Why can't it be easier to find my shirt?" he murmured to himself. "I just want my shirt!" He continued whispering to himself as time passed along.

About thirty minutes later, Mail was hungry. He supported himself on the wall, getting on his bare feet and starting to walk back. He stopped out side a particular door and wondered if maybe there was food in there. After all, this house seemed the fancy type--goodness, it was _huge_-- so each room probably had its own mini-fridge.

Mail entered the room, not bothering to close the door. He looked around, trying to find some place where food could be hidden. Deciding to start under the bed("Monsters probably took it; it's the afternoon right now, so they can't hurt me. I'll just take a little bit."), the redhead crouched on all fours and managed to crawl underneath the furniture. "Hello?" he whispered. "I'm just going to take a little bit, okay? Don't worry, I'll leave--ah!" Mail screamed for the second time that day as he felt someone tug on his leg. He was dragged out from under the bed, whimpering, shouting "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" all over again.

"Okay, kid, you're sorry, I get it!" An annoyed voice hissed. "Calm down. God, if B were here, he would freak. Hey. Did you hear me? _Get up_."

There was something in that tone that made Mail want to obey every command. The redhead slowly got up, blinking his eyes open. His goggles had slid down to his neck. Now that he could see clearly, he was almost blinded by the yellow that was the boy's hair.

"Hey," the golden-haired boy snapped. "Did you hear me? What are you doing up here?"

Mail muttered something incoherent, making the blond sigh loudly, impatiently.

_His eyes are blue...aqua blue, _Mail thought as he was pulled out of the room. A small click sharpened his senses. The boy was locking the door.

Mail's mind burst with questions. _Who is he? What is he doing here? How come I'm not allowed in there? How come _he _is allowed in there? Does he have my shirt? Does he know the red-eyed boy? Will he help me escape? Or will he bring me to that Roger guy?_

"Relax," the blond said, seeing the redhead's questioning eyes. He continued to half-drag the dazed boy through a series of hallways, avoiding curious stares of other children. "I'm taking you to your room--_our _room. God, and to think that I'd finally have my own room...Stupid Roger." He muttered to himself for a few seconds before finally turning to Mail. "You're...Matt, right?"

Mail nodded numbly.

"Well, this is our room." He noticed they had stopped in front of a door. "Roger's already run a background scan on you--"

Mail's eyes widened. _A background scan? Had 'Roger' told anyone? Did this boy now know of his abusive childhood? Did they know he had lied about his real name?_

"--and he just needs to get you to take a test." The blue-eyed boy raised an eyebrow in annoyance at Mail. "Mail? Are you even listening?"

That answered one of his questions.

"Don't call me that." Mail swallowed and nodded once more. "C-call me Matt." He paused. "W-what's your name?" Of all the questions he could have asked--_why am I still here? Why do I have to take a test? Are they seriously planning to take me in? Is this an orphanage? What if I fail the test?_-- he had to ask that one.

The other boy visibly softened at the sight of those innocent emerald eyes. "Mello," he said, opening the door to their room. "I'm your new roommate, for a while, at least."

Mail--Matt-- wondered what he meant by that. They were going to be separated? But he didn't want to be taken away from Mello! He was the only person who was actually making sense, and they were going to be taken away from each other?

Mello tilted his head to the side. "You don't say a whole lot, do you?"

Matt shrugged, walking over to what seemed to be his bed. The other one was littered with papers, rolled up chocolate wrappers.

There was silence as Matt made himself comfortable against a mound of pillows, the side of his cheek pressing nicely against a particularly soft one. He wanted to stay like that until they came and took him for that test. Mail was actually praying he'd pass it; he liked this place and didn't want to return to his old home, if one would be able to call it 'home.'

Across the room, Mello was in deep thought.

_When I saw his eyes, I saw loneliness, fear. But not sadness. Usually newcomers have that sad tinge in their eyes. Why doesn't he? _Mello eyed the curled up form, curious thoughts no other six-year-old usually had invading his mind. Oh, well. That's what he got for gifted, he guessed. _And, why is he so calm? He doesn't seem the least bit bothered. Does he actually want to stay here? Roger told me his parents were still alive, though his mom was dead. _"Hey," Mello finally said.

Matt opened an eye to peer at him.

"Do you even miss your parents?" Mello tilted his head to the side, trying to read the redhead's thoughts through his actions.

"No," was the simple reply.

"Why not?" Mello was a little shocked.

"Because they hurt me," Matt said quietly, and twisted his small body around so his back was facing Mello.

Some time later, Linda, sent by Roger, came to pick Matt up for the test. Mello stood by the doorway, and as Matt walked passed, Mello whispered, "I hope you pass the test," and flashed an encouraging smile.


	4. Chapter 3: Friend

**{Chapter 3: Friend}**

Matt sat in a white chair, much like the ones a hospital would have. He was sitting outside the hallway, just beside the door to Roger's office, silently mulling over his new name.

_Matt._

It was okay, he guessed. For one thing, he was glad that he didn't have that awful name which came from his parents. He distinctly remembered his mother telling him she had wanted to name him Matthew at first, but her husband had convinced her to give him the name 'Mail,' even though it was pronounced like 'mile.'

Matt frowned upon realizing the fact that Roger, Mello, and possibly others knew his real name. Roger, the nice old man that had given him the test, told him that if he passed it, Matt would be allowed to stay in this orphanage forever. Also, his real name would be kept a secret from any others, and 'Matt' would be his alias.

The test had been easy. Matt sped through the reading section pretty quick, though he struggled a little with the arithmetic. Anxiety crept into his veins and he wondered what would happen to him if he didn't pass. Would they throw him back out in the forests? Or would they somehow find his father and bring him back to the abusive man?

_No! _Matt thought in panic. _I-I don't want to go b-back...I want to stay!_

He sniffed, pulling up the goggles to cover his eyes. He wanted his striped shirt, not this icky, brown foreign one!

"Matt?" The door beside him slowly opened and Roger walked out. The man looked at him, a faint smile on his mouth. "I have good news, and some bad."

"Can I hear the good news first?" Matt rasped.

Roger chuckled at the innocent look the child was giving him. Normally he didn't like children very much, but this one was different. "Of course. The good news is that the police has found your father. He's now in prison for murder, as well as child abuse."

Matt's eyes widened behind orange plastic. "R-really?" Roger nodded. "How-how'd they find him so f-fast?"

"We have our ways." Roger wanted to reach out and ruffle that mop of red hair, then figured it was probably dirty. He needed to get this kid cleaned up, fast. "Also, we have some more good news. Would you like to hear it?"

Matt nodded.

"Congratulations, Matt, you passed the test," Roger said softly.

Matt's both hung open a centimeter wide. "I did?"

"You did very well for a child who has received barely proper schooling," Roger told him. "That's another reason why you can stay: here at Wammy's, we'll give you the education you need, and you'll grow up to be smart."

Personally, Matt didn't care about being smart. He was just happy that he could finally say goodbye to the old life he had, to the beatings and the verbal abuse. "What's the bad news?" He asked, a little afraid to hear the answer.

"You'll have to share a room with Mello, unfortunately."

Matt faintly remembered the blond who'd wished him luck. "Why is that bad news?"

"Mello is...temperamental," Roger said slowly. "He behaves rather violently when annoyed. I apologize for having to room you with him, but he's the only orphan who doesn't have a roommate yet."

Matt shrugged his thin shoulders. "All right. Can I eat something? I'm starved." He patted his stomach.

Roger nodded, smiling again. "The kitchen is downstairs. I suggest you go back to your room before you go down, however. You can get yourself cleaned up and ask Mello to give you a tour." He bit his lip, knowing the blond would probably say no.

"Okay!" Matt slid off the white chair, starting to walk towards his room.

"Don't you need directions to your room?" Roger asked, puzzled.

"Nah." Matt shook his head, red strands falling into his protected eyes. "I think I remember!"

And Roger watched, amused, as the redhead resumed walking down the hallway. _That boy could be something, _he thought. _Perhaps he may even beat Near, but that's overrating him. We'll see how he adjusts into Wammy's..._

_--_

"Seeing as you've come back and you have that goofy grin on your face, I think it's safe to assume that you passed the test and you're my new roommate," Mello commented. The six-year-old watched from his bed, munching on a chocolate bar as Matt kicked off worn sneakers.

Matt beamed. "I passed the test."

"Good for you."

The redhead looked at him shyly. "Um, do you have any extra clothes...?" Matt asked uncertainly. "The boy with red eyes told me they threw away my striped shirt, and I can't wear this brown one forever."

Mello leaned over the side of his bed where a dresser stood. He opened the middle drawer, taking out a gray shirt and cotton pants. Matt looked about his size, they would probably fit.

Matt mumbled a quiet 'thank you' and entered what seemed to be their bathroom.

"Huh," Mello said to himself as he heard the shower start. "This kid's acting like he's lived here his whole life. He's made himself home and everything." He glanced at the sneakers beside the door and the bed across the room, still unmade from when Matt had laid down earlier. "And...I'm talking to myself," he grumbled, taking another bite of chocolate.

A few minutes later, Matt came out in the clothes Mello had given him. They fit, though the shirt was a little too big. Mello laughed out loud as Matt tried in vain to get the sleeve to stay on his shoulder.

When Mello stood up to leave, Matt looked up at him blankly. "Where are you going?"

"Lunch."

"...Can I come?" The redhead's stomach growled.

Mello paused; normally he didn't like being seen with newbies. Everyone knew he was no nice guy, so think about what that would do to his ego, which Mello cared about very much. "We're not friends," he snapped, beckoning with his head out the door.

"Okay!" Matt chirped, following.

Mello led him downstairs and entered a door to the mess hall. Some kids were eating lunch already, most were still in line. "They serve two different lunches everyday. Check the board to see what they have and get in line if you see something you want," Mello informed Matt, and walked away to his usual table.

The six-year-old just stood there for a moment, in the middle of the mess hall, staring blankly around. He heard the barely-contained whispers of other children and tried to ignore the pointing.

"Ugh, don't you know _anything_?" came an irritated voice, and a hand grabbed his wrist, starting to drag him to the line. "You like spaghetti?" Mello asked, glancing back at Matt.

"Um, sure," Matt said, shuffling after the blond. His cheeks warmed a little as he stared at his wrist, still enveloped by Mello's hand. They went through the line quickly, and then Mello had shoved a tray towards him, loaded with a plate of spaghetti, fries, and milk. After that, the blond left him again, standing there, in the middle of the cafeteria, looking lost and confused, much like a puppy.

He glanced around the large room, trying to find a sitting place. Mello was sitting in a table in the far corner, away from everyone else. Matt's fingers flexed underneath the tray he held; really, he just wanted to sit with Mello. He was a little uncomfortable at the thought of sitting beside someone he didn't know.

Figuring he should just suck it up(his hunger was getting to him) he decided just to sit with someone that didn't look so threatening. After some time of searching, Matt caught sight of a white-haired child. Awkwardly, the redhead slowly walked over to the nearly deserted table and put his tray down. "C-can I sit here?" From this close, he could see that the boy was wearing all white. Even his skin; Matt recognized him as an albino.

Dark, obsidian eyes stared up at him. "Yes."

So Matt took his seat across the boy, watching him curiously. "Hi, I'm Matt. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, Matt." The voice was a monotone. "My name is nothing of your interest."

This silenced Matt, as well as made him feel guilty somehow. He swallowed, redirecting his attention on a spot somewhere past the albino. Surreptitiously, he found himself staring at the table Mello was at. The other six-year-old had been joined by a familiar boy...

_The one with red eyes, _Matt thought, losing interest in eating silently. _They know each other?_

Then he saw the red-eyed one point to him--to _Matt_-- and tug at Mello's sleeve. Mello looked up also, and those eyes grew wide with a mixture of surprise and anger. The chocolate lover stood up abruptly and began to march towards them, with the red-eyed boy along his side.

"What're you doing with him, Near?" Mello spat.

Matt flinched at the venom in his tone.

"He only came to sit with me because you won't let him sit with you, Mello," the albino calmly answered, starting to fold his napkin into a complicated-looking origami.

"Hey, you're the kid who screamed at me earlier," the red-eyed boy spoke up, interrupting Mello's retort. "What were you doing last night in the forest, hm?"

Mello's eyes narrowed, and he ignored the previous sentence. "I didn't say he couldn't sit with us. He'd probably enjoy mine and Beyond's company better than yours, anyway. Let's go, Matt."

There was that feeling again. It made Matt want to do everything Mello told him to. The boy slowly stood up, taking his tray, following the two slightly taller boys away from Near.

"Please tell me you didn't sit there because you actually _wanted _to," Mello sighed once they reached his table.

"I didn't," said Matt honestly. "I just wanted someone to sit next to, and he looked the most least threatening. But he turned out to be mean."

"Why didn't you come over here?" Mello asked.

Matt looked down, embarrassed. "I thought you didn't want me to."

Beyond nudged Mello in the shoulder, grinning. "That's cold, Mello. He's new here, for goodness' sake."

"Well," Mello said indignantly, "how was I supposed to know I made him think that?"

"You left me standing in the middle of the cafeteria twice," Matt said softly.

Beyond smirked. "Sorry, Matt--it's Matt, right?-- but Mello isn't very nice, so you might as well get used to it."

"I can be nice," Mello said in mock hurt.

"Prove it." Beyond's eyes glinted with mischief.

Mello huffed. "Fine. From now on, Matt can sit with us, because he's officially my friend."


	5. Chapter 4: Iris

**{Chapter 4: Iris}**

The next week at Wammy's was relatively easy for Matt. To start with, Roger had placed him in the lower classes, which meant he didn't have any classes with Mello or BB. This upset him, but at least they saw each other during lunch and after classes.

Thankfully, though, on Matt's ninth day at the orphanage, Roger informed him that he was being bumped up to the higher classes, though if his grades were to drop, they were going to put him back in the lower classes.

Within a short gap of time, Matt rose to third place in Rankings, successfully putting Beyond Birthday in fourth place. The red-eyed boy laughed good-naturedly and ruffled Matt's hair. Mello, Matt learned, was very serious about Rankings, so the redhead made sure not to do too well. He really didn't want to lose Mello as a friend.

One particular afternoon, during a Botany class Matt, Mello, and BB had together, their teacher announced that they would be going outside to study the plants that surrounded Wammy's. She gave the children, who were in pairs, a checklist. They were supposed to search for the plants on the paper and bring back samples of them. Mello was the first one out, dragging a hesitant Matt behind him. "Come on, Matt!" the blond said impatiently. "We have to finish this before Near does!"

Following them was BB, who had unfortunately been paired with Near. Near, though he didn't want to admit it, was a little scared of the older boy. After all, who else had red eyes? "Let's search for the hyacinth first," BB announced. Near merely nodded and followed the taller boy to the edge of the wood where flowers were lined.

About forty five minutes passed. By then, Matt and Mello's checklist was almost finished; they only needed to find an iris. BB, on the other hand, was trying to slow Near down so Mello could finish first, because he knew how much the blond wanted to finally be first in something. "So, Near, how are you doing?" BB asked conversationally, stalling. "You met L yet?"

Near didn't answer directly. "That is none of your business, Beyond. Now, let us search for the arbutus." And he walked away, carrying their cardboard box that contained their collected samples.

"I can't find the iris," Matt panted after he had scoured his half of Wammy's perimeter.

"Do you think it can grow in the woods?" Mello asked, staring at the trees.

Matt seemed to read what he was thinking. "We're not allowed to check. Remember? Roger said we could get lost." And he had enough experiences with being lost.

Mello shrugged. "You can stay here, then." He glanced back at Near and BB. "They're probably close to finishing already. I'll be right back!" When he saw the Roger wasn't looking, the blond boy dove into a bush and disappeared.

"Mello!" Matt whisper-shouted. "Come back!" There was no reply, he realized there was never ever going to be one unless he went after his friend. "I'm coming." Carrying their container under his arm, he stepped inside the forest.

"Nice of you to join me," a voice said.

"Mello, you jerk!" Matt said, realizing that Mello had just been hiding behind a tree all along. He probably expected Matt to come after him.

"We'll argue later, Matty." A hand gripped the goggled boy's forearm and started to tug. "We first have to find the iris."

The duo walked together, Matt clutching nervously to Mello's hand, until they came upon a clearing. "There are too many possible locations to search for, and we won't have enough time." After taking a decisive silence, Mello finally said, "We'll split up. You go that way--" he gestured to one side of the circular clearing, "--and I'll go this way." He pointed to the opposite side.

"No!" Matt held onto his hand more tightly. "I-I don't wanna be out there all by myself."

Mello looked at him pleadingly. "Please, Matty? For me?"

Matt shook his head profusely.

"Fine!" Mello wiggled out of his grip and grabbed their container. "I'll go look for it myself! You can stay here, you big baby." He disappeared among the trees.

"M-mello!" Matt called, running after him. He stopped, though. "Mello, don't leave me!"

There was no answer. Matt checked behind the trees to make sure it wasn't a trick.

"Mello," he whimpered, curling up against a trunk of a tree. He cried for a while, sliding the goggles on top of his head so they didn't fog. After rubbing his eyes hard, he got up and walked tentatively to the place where Mello had wanted him to search. Taking a deep breath as if he was going to go underwater, he went in bravely.

"Monsters aren't real," he told himself like BB had told him. He chanted this over and over quietly like a mantra. "Monsters aren't real, monsters aren't real..."

--

"Mello!" Roger scolded once the blond child exited the forest. "Class ended over an hour ago! Where were you? Where is Matt?"

Mello smiled, holding out an iris. "I found it," he announced, handing it to Roger.

Roger glared at him. "This behavior is unacceptable. You could have gotten lost, for goodness's sake."

Mello ignored him. "Where's Matty? I wanna tell him about this cool bird I saw!"

"Matt hasn't come back," Roger said, grabbing Mello's shoulders to make him look at him. "Wasn't he with you?"

Mello went silent, mulling this over. "He didn't come back?" he questioned.

Poor Roger felt like tearing what little he had of his hair left out. "No, he didn't!" the old man exploded. "Linda told me that she saw you two go in the forest, that's why we've been looking for you for the past hour or so! Then, you come back and you tell me Matt isn't with you?!"

Mello blinked. "No, he isn't. I left him in the clearing because he wouldn't come with me."

"Left him in the clearing!" Roger yelled in hysteria.

Mello nodded solemnly. "I could lead you there, if you'd like."

Roger forced himself to calm down; getting angry at Mello would get him nowhere. He had to find Matt first, and then he could punish him. He sighed. "Let's go."


	6. Chapter 5: Return

**{Chapter 5: Return}**

Beyond Birthday stared, amused, as his friend paced back and forth in front of him. Crimson red eyes followed a lithe hand as it directed the chocolate bar to Mello's mouth. There was a quiet snap, and Mello chewed, then restarted the process over.

"If you're so worried," Beyond said, eating a handful of his addiction as well, "why did you do it in the first place?"

It had been over a day since Mello left Matt in the forest, all alone. The blond had already faced several lectures from Roger, stayed for three hours in detention, and gotten his chocolate supply taken away from him, but he really hadn't been worried. The forest wasn't so big, right? Matt, if the redhead was trying to get out, could probably make it back if he really tried. At least, that's what Mello had heard, anyway. He hadn't really been out there himself.

"I just wanted to beat Near," Mello said weakly, and deflated like a balloon against the wall. His eyelids were heavy, tempting him to go to sleep, as he had stayed up the previous night worrying about Matt. "I-I wasn't thinking...Matt's going to hate me..." He sniffed, taking another furious bite of chocolate.

"Get some sleep," BB suggested. "I'll go out and join the search parties. I'll bring back Matt by sunset, all right?"

Mello shook his head. "I was the one who got him lost, I'll go out there...What if he dies?"

Purposely ignoring him, Beyond firmly pushed the younger boy back down on a beanbag chair. Mello made a face at his shirt, now stained with strawberry jam. Beyond washed his hands quickly before striding out of the room.

"Sleep, Mello," he repeated, and closed the door, locking it.

"Hey!" There was a sound of scuttling as Mello ran from the chair to the door. He pounded on the wood. "BB, let me out!"

BB ignored him however, and went down to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. He passed the empty Commons--almost everybody was outside searching, courtesy of Roger's orders and Linda's gossip-- and walked outside in his usual hunch, wincing a bit at the sunlight. Calls of "Matt!" followed by an echo sounded from seemingly everywhere as Beyond watched bodies, half-hidden by the trees, as they searched for the missing redheaded boy.

Beyond walked into the trees, the same spot he had seen Mello enter the day before. He was surrounded by a mass of greenish darkness for some time until his feet carried him to a clearing. He didn't bother calling Matt's name; after what Matt had told him about 'monsters,' he would only frighten the boy further into insanity...if Matt wasn't already.

After a quick look at his surroundings, he found that two spots in the trees looked like they were pushed out of the way. He was silently debating which one to take when suddenly, the sunlight reached down, causing a quick orange flash. If BB had been turned around, he wouldn't have seen it, but that wasn't the case, so he curiously walked over to the spot where the flash had taken place. When he finished searching, he realized it could have been somewhere deeper...That didn't narrow down where Matt could be, but BB remembered the goggles the boy always wore. Perhaps he had dropped them?

Leaves were crunched beneath his sneakers as Beyond made his way through the thicket. He could tell someone had been here already; several tree limbs were scattered across the forest floor, as if they were pushed out of the way, then became too fragile and broke off.

He stopped beside a rather large tree, reaching down to pick up an item.

Matt's goggles.

Beyond Birthday smiled lazily; the boy was here. After losing his only protection against the night, the redhead would have probably curled up here somewhere...

The water bottle in BB's hand crinkled as he unconsciously squeezed it. A few more steps and...was that a rose bush? No, no, bushes didn't have limbs.

BB dropped down on his knees next to the curled up boy. The jam lover touched Matt's shoulders hesitantly, eliciting a whimper from the younger. Inwardly, BB shook his head. _Mello...you really must've scared the crap out of him. _Then he carefully shook the boy. "Hey, Matt?" he whispered.

Matt made an unintelligible noise in return, curling himself up even tighter if possible.

"Don't make me carry you like last time," BB said, grinning a little.

"Thirsty," Matt rasped finally, rolling over with effort. Grimy hands rubbed at his eyes.

With one hand, BB lifted Matt's head and with the other, tilted the water bottle down so the water fell right in Matt's waiting lips. Matt sighed a little, drinking like there was no tomorrow. When he had drained every drop of water, he blinked his emerald eyes open halfway and looked up at BB, stretching his thin arms out.

Beyond realized Matt was still probably parched and a little delusional. Still, it couldn't hurt, right? After all, the red-eyed boy himself remembered how _his _mother used to hold him...

Without another second's thought, he gathered the smaller boy into his arms. Matt curled up into a ball once more, sighing into BB's shirt, "Mommy."

"Like last time, eh?" Beyond murmured, adjusting Matt's position in his arms and making sure not to drop the goggles. He made his way back to Wammy's. "That's okay, though. At least you're safe; I don't want someone else dying out on me."

--

It wasn't even sunset yet, which made the situation look a whole lot better, according to Mello. He almost tackled Beyond in a happy bear hug the moment the older boy entered the locked room via window, but he was still holding Matt.

Mello looked guilty again as BB placed the redhead onto his bed. "H-how come the others didn't see you?" Mello asked.

BB shrugged carelessly. "They weren't paying attention...hey, look, he's moving!"

Excited, Mello sat down on the space near Matt's legs and leaned forward a little. "Matt, are you okay?" One of his hands gripped at the sleeve of Matt's shirt desperately. "I'm really sorry! I was so focused on beating Near and I-I-I...I'm sorry!"

Matt sniffed, opening his eyes blearily. "Hungry," he managed.

"I'll be right back with food," Beyond said, exiting the room.

"I'm really sorry, Matty, I mean it!" Mello prattled on. "I thought you'd find your way back. I thought--"

"It's okay." Matt nuzzled into his hand. "It was really scary, y'know?"

Mello grabbed the goggles that sat on the windowsill where BB had left them. "Here." He helped his friend slip them on. "I got you a present, too."

Matt sat up with some difficulty as he watched Mello paw through their cluttered drawer.

_Why am I doing this? _Mello asked himself as he searched for the item. _I didn't care for anyone this much before Matt...I'm changing. _He stopped thinking though when he found the thing he was looking for. Smiling a little playfully, he hid it behind his back and walked back over to Matt, who was looking puzzled.

"Guess what I found?" The blond whispered.

"A puppy?" Matt asked hopefully.

"No, something better."

And his mother's old black-and-white striped shirt was dropped into his lap.


	7. Chapter 6: Sky

**{Chapter 6: Sky}**

Matt, soon-to-be nine, followed the two older boys in front of him. He fiddled with his fingers, like he always did when he was uncertain. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked softly as they rounded the corner of one of Wammy's big hallways.

Beyond Birthday glanced back with a small smile. "Of course. Mello and I have done this countless times; we've never been caught." He nudged Mello's elbow. "Right?"

Mello looked back at Matt also. "Yeah, Matty. Plus, it's so awesome up there!" He jumped up the first few steps of the stairs and gestured for the others to come. BB started to walk forward, but Matt tugged on the sleeve of his jam-stained shirt.

"Matt?" BB looked at him curiously.

Matt shivered at the red eyes, still not used with the way they seemed to be able to look into your soul... "I'm nervous," the redhead admitted. "What if we get caught?" Would Roger throw them out? Would they be left out to die?

Beyond laughed. "We'll catch up, Mels." He gestured to Mello, who shrugged and went on. Now BB turned to Matt, placing his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "Do you really think that L would let Roger throw us out, Matt?" he whispered. He shook Matt's shoulders lightly. "With you and Mello a part of the Successorship, do you think L would do that? So young, innocent, and smart."

Matt's breathing hitched, his heart thumping a thousand miles a minute as BB stroked his cheek with a finger.

"Even a cold, heartless monster like him wouldn't do that." Beyond finally pulled away.

Here, Matt became confused. L was a cold, heartless monster? That didn't sound like the detective. According to Mello's various stories, he was great, intelligent, and loved the children dearly. An ideal role model. "L isn't like that," Matt said softly. "Mello told me so."

Beyond laughed, the sound once more sounding misplaced. "Mello is blind. He does not see the way L truly is. He's too focused on Near to think about that." He looked into Matt's eyes, and the redhead was glad he had his goggles on. "Matt, promise me you won't become like Near, okay?" BB said, suddenly sounding gentle.

Matt blinked. "What does that mean?"

"You can want to succeed L... Just stay _you _all right? Don't become like them. Don't be a workaholic. The Earth doesn't revolve around L."

Matt giggled. "Of course not. The Earth revolves around the sun."

Beyond sighed. "You're still too young to get it...Why don't we just go catch up with Mello, hm?"

Matt nodded, so the two made their way up to the roof, where Mello was seated at the edge, feet dangling below him. The blond grinned at his two best friends. "Look at me!" he cried, flinging his arms out. "I'm flying!"

Beside Matt, Beyond rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that when you're plummeting a hundred feet to the ground."

Mello rolled his eyes back. "Stop being such a pessimist, B." He waved for them to sit next to him. BB walked over and sat like this was the most natural thing in the world. Matt stood a few feet away, looking scared.

"It's okay, Matt." BB scooted over, and Matt's heart leapt to his throat in fear that the red-eyed boy would fall. However, he kept his balance and patted the space between him and Mello. "If you fall over, we'll catch you."

"Promise!" Mello added.

Matt tentatively walked up to them, crawling on his knees. He gulped when he reached the edge, seeing grassy floor below.

"Now, carefully put your legs out," Mello instructed, holding his shoulder steady.

Matt practically whimpered as he eased himself into the same position as Mello and BB. "This is scary," the goggled boy admitted, clutching feverishly at Mello's sleeve.

BB hit him lightly on the arm. "You'll get used to it. Enjoy the view, now."

_But how could I enjoy the view when I'm too focused on not falling over?_ Matt thought. He kept his death grip on Mello's sleeve as he forced himself to look ahead.

Most of the trees were low enough so Matt had a clear view of the sky. It was painted orange, sloshed with yellow and a hint of red. Indigo was beginning to slowly form around the area of warm colors, a signal that night was approaching. Some birds, in a V formation, flew towards the yellow sun, and for a moment, Matt wondered what it would feel like to fly. Unconsciously, he leaned forward, eyelids fluttering shut.

"Matt?" Mello's arms came around his waist, and the next thing the redhead knew, he was in the blond's lap. "I know flying seems tempting, but...don't go into the light, okay?" Mello asked worriedly.

BB laughed. "Aw, you two just look like the perfect couple," he teased.

Mello glared. "I don't want Matt to fall over, is all!" he defended.

"And it's comfortable here," Matt put in, bumping his legs with Mello's.

Mello loosened his grip on him in retaliation.

"H-hey!" Matt said, pedaling himself backwards from the nearing fall.

Mello chuckled. Then, Matt pedaled back to hard and the two went sprawling backwards on the roof, Matt on top of Mello, the chocolate lover's face buried in a mass of red hair. "Ow," Mello said quietly.

BB laughed again at their predicament.

"Sorry," Matt said, rolling off. He used BB's back to steady himself, not quite ready yet to 'go to the light.'

Mello sat up with a cough. "Your hair is a death trap, I tell you," he wheezed jokingly.

Matt reached up to tug on a strand. "I-it is?" He wondered if he should get a haircut.

"No, Matt," BB said, shaking his head. "It's a metaphor."

Mello snorted. "Says the one who wasn't nearly choked." But he there was silent amusement in his eyes.

Matt smiled, feeling quite happy with the way the world was right now. He had two best friends who cared for him a lot, something the eight-year-old wasn't used to. He felt happy, like he'd finally found his own little family, no matter how corny that sounded.

Sometime later, he yawned and proclaimed he was sleepy. Rubbing his eyes with a hand, he blinked away tears of tiredness. The sky was now a dark blue, Orion the Hunter gleaming proudly above them.

"Matt's sleepy?" Mello asked.

"I'm sleepy." Matt nodded.

"Let's go back, then." Mello got up and stretched his arms. Matt watched him from his place on the roof, eyes half-lidded. Mello laughed.

"Wha' so funny?" Matt slurred, yawning again.

"You look like a puppy that just woke up," BB informed him, speaking Mello's mind.

"What's a puppy look like?" Matt asked.

Mello pulled him up to his feet. "You've never seen a puppy?" he asked incredulously.

Matt shook his head. "Nope. Can I sleep now?"

The three made their way down to their own rooms. Matt went ahead of them, and by the time he was sleeping soundly on his bed, Mello and BB were in the hallway, whispering in excited tones.

"Do you think he knows?" Mello said.

"He's no idea," BB said, sounding triumphant. "Oh, and I've got an idea."

Mello's eyes shone brightly. "What is it?" After BB told him, Mello smiled. "That's perfect." He rubbed his hands together. "Matt won't know what hit him."


	8. Chapter 7: Surprise

**{Chapter 7: Surprise}**

It was a particularly nice dream he was having, considering the fact that he seldom had nice dreams. Matt dreamt that he could fly, and although he couldn't feel the wind rushing past him, he imagined it must feel exhilarating.

The nice scene quickly dissolved when he was awoken by someone pouncing on him, which caused the redhead's eyes to snap open. He blinked up at his best friend, trying to fight away the heaviness of his eyelids without the help of his hands--they were pinned down by Mello straddling him.

"Morning!" the blond greeted, leaning down and smiling widely.

A pink hue invaded Matt's cheeks as he pushed himself farther against the bed, away from Mello's oh-so-close face. "M-morning," he stammered.

Mello looked down at him for a moment with an expression Matt saw mothers put on in TV shows. The moms would look like that when they thought their child was looking especially cute today.

Matt reddened even more at the thought.

Abruptly, Mello's expression turned cold and he glared down. "Get up, now." He rolled off of him to stand by the side of the bed.

A little more than confused, Matt slid out of bed and looked questioningly at his friend. "What's wrong, Mello?"

"No questions," Mello snapped. "Follow me." The ten year old strode out of their room.

Matt stayed there for a while longer, wondering what was going on. The clock said it was seven in the morning, which didn't make sense, because it was a Saturday and he knew Mello was never up before nine on a weekend.

"Matt!" Mello barked from outside.

Hastily, Matt scrambled out of their room and out into the hallway where Mello was impatiently waiting. The blond rolled his eyes once he saw Matt. "God, try not to make too much noise, okay?" he grumbled, starting to walk forward.

"Wait!" Matt ran up to him and tugged on his hand. "Why is Mello acting strange?"

Mello quickened his pace, making Matt walk with more effort to catch up. "Didn't I say no questions?" Mello asked angrily. "Now shut your trap and get in there." He stopped in front of a door and thrust a finger to it.

Matt blinked cluelessly from his spot, trying to figure out what was wrong. Had he done something to upset Mello? Why was he supposed to go in there? He didn't want to! Mello was scaring him! Nonetheless, he walked forward, putting a small, trembling hand on the doorknob. He glanced back at Mello briefly, who snarled in return. Gulping, Matt swung the door open and waited for the worst.

The worst, it turned out, was being attacked by something small. Matt opened his mouth to scream in surprise, but a hand covered his mouth and someone pushed him in the room. There was the sound of the door being shut and locked.

Matt instantly panicked. His brain flashed many images of his parents beating him and he instinctively gave up he fight, knowing it would be useless. The arms around him dropped him to the floor and he curled up into a small, whimpering ball, ignoring the thing sniffing his leg.

"Mello!" It was BB's voice. "What did you do to him, you jerk!"

Then someone had pulled Matt's head into their lap, running their hands through his hair. "Sorry, Matty. I just wanted it to be a surprise," Mello whispered down to him. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you."

Finally, Matt opened his eyes, looking up into concerned blue orbs. Gone was the mean boy from earlier. Mello was back--the nice Mello he knew as his best friend.

"Jeez, I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but you didn't have to scare him shitless," BB piped up.

The blue orbs rolled. "Shut up, Beyond. You're not helping."

Matt slowly sat up, even more confused than before. "What's going on?" he asked quietly. He took notice of the small, brown, furry animal sniffing around his bare feet. It was about a foot tall and white. It was big, floppy ears, four legs, and a wagging tail. When it looked up at Matt, it had two black eyes, a small nose, and a pink tongue that bobbed up and down as it panted.

"Happy birthday!" Mello and BB exclaimed.

Matt was still entranced by the animal. "What is that?" he asked. He could see Mello's shocked face in peripheral vision.

"Oh, my god, BB, he wasn't kidding when he said he hasn't seen one before!" Mello said.

Beyond Birthday looked amused. "That, Matt, is a puppy," he explained.

_Oh, _Matt thought. Out loud, he said, "And it's my birthday today?"

"Yes!" Mello said from beside him. "Which reminds me, this little guy is your birthday present from me." Mello hoisted the puppy into his arms, grinning. "Matt, meet your new pet, Chocolate!" Then he dropped Chocolate into Matt's lap.

Matt looked so bewildered it was almost cute. Mello almost laughed upon seeing his friend's shocked expression.

"R-really?" Matt said. "He's mine?" He stroked the puppy. Chocolate licked his hand in a reply.

Mello nodded. "Yep! BB has a present, too!"

Matt smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Y-you didn't have to," he mumbled.

"We did, anyway." BB gestured to their window. "My present's out there." Without another word, he lifted the window and climbed out. Mello slinked after him like a panther, and Matt followed, not so gracefully.

"Ow!" he complained when his knee banged on the sill.

Mello laughed and helped pull him out. Once Matt was out of the way, Mello called in the room, "Chocolate, come here, boy!"

The brown terrier bounded up to him, licking his face happily. Mello giggled and attached the collar with the leash. He handed the black handle to Matt. "This," he explained, "is what you use to make sure Chocolate doesn't get lost. You also use it to take him wherever you go."

Chocolate jumped down. Matt tugged gently on the leash and the pup turned to him, trotting over. "Thanks," he said earnestly.

"Come on, I want Matt to see my present!" Beyond said. "It's in the forest."

Matt was still uncertain about going into the forest, but he shook it off and followed his friend. Mello was holding on to BB's hand so he wouldn't get lost, Matt to Mello's, and Chocolate stayed by Matt's foot the whole time. Soon, BB stopped and pushed away some branches, revealing a clearing. There was a pond in the middle, alive with tiny fishes swimming around. There was a vacant log near it, close enough so they could probably dip their feet in as they sat.

They did just that. A few minutes later, the three friends were sitting on the wood, barefoot, feeling the cold water swirling around their toes. Fishes swam over to inspect the invading appendages and swam back away.

"Did you bring them here?" Matt asked.

Beyond shook his head. "They've been here ever since I first found this place."

That made Mello wonder exactly when BB had 'found this place,' how much of the forest he knew, and what he did when he snuck out at night. The blond furrowed his eyebrows, his curiosity telling him to ask, but he suppressed it. Matt was still ecstatic, asking BB random questions about the pond.

At the thought of the redhead, Mello unconsciously blushed and looked away. _Why is this happening?_ He wondered. _Why am I suddenly feeling like _this_ towards Matt?_


	9. Chapter 8: Discovery

**{Chapter 8: Discovery}**

That night, Mello lay awake in his bed, feeling breathless and tired, yet at the same time he couldn't fall asleep. The rest of Matt's birthday had been fine and the redhead had gone to sleep smiling. Chocolate was curled up, asleep beside Matt's feet.

Mello smiled in the darkness, seeing the outline of his best friend and the smaller bump that was the puppy. He couldn't help but define the picture as cute and awespiring. Then he felt guilty, because the way he felt for Matt was certainly love, and love between two boys was forbidden in the eyes of God. _But why? _Mello thought, fingering the rosary that was still around his neck. _If He created mankind, He should have been aware that there was a possibility of the same gender falling for each other._

He felt even more guiltier and sat up, clasping his hands together and starting to whisper a prayer in Russian, his native language. Halfway through, there was a movement from outside of their window that made him freeze.

Was that--BB stealing into the forest again?

It wasn't that dark outside, light enough so Mello could catch sight of the jam-stained white shirt Beyond always wore. It contrasted against the dark green and brown of the forest.

As quietly as he could, Mello stood from his bed and pulled on the sneakers laying against it. After grabbing his jacket, he crossed the room to open the window, wincing when the click echoed loudly. The blond glanced worriedly at his friend and was relieved when both Matt and Chocolate were still asleep. Holding the pane up, Mello put out his right leg first, then his left, and was outside within minutes. Cool air blew onto any exposed skin on him, and he quickly shut the window again, afraid the wind might wake Matt up.

Mello's sneakers squeaked softly as he walked on the damp ground. _It's about to rain, _he noted absentmindedly, looking up at the sky. It was gray, starless, and the moon was a waning gibbous. The view became shrouded by leaves as Mello entered the forest. He froze after the first step in, knowing he had to be extra quiet if he didn't want to be caught by Beyond. There was an eerie silence, as if BB had heard him entering and had stopped also. But not long after, the barely audible sound of leaves rustling and a twig snapping was heard, and Mello continued onward.

He stopped every few seconds, paranoia creeping into his veins. Eventually, he found BB, just a few feet away from him. Realizing the jam-lover wasn't walking anymore, Mello rooted himself to the ground and waited.

"I know you're there, Mello," BB said softly.

Mello clamped his mouth shut; maybe Beyond would think that he was mistaken and continue onward. But in less than a second, Beyond had turned and those crimson red eyes were looking at him. The raven-haired boy's mouth was curled up in a knowing smile. He raised an arm and beckoned Mello forward. Uncertain, Mello did so until he was side to side with his friend.

"What is Mello doing out here?" Beyond asked curiously.

Mello bristled. "I could ask you the same thing."

BB chuckled. "Fair enough." And he started walking again, as if he never saw Mello in the first place.

The chocoholic wasn't having any of that. "Hey, wait!" He called, jogging after him. "Aren't you going to tell me what you're doing out here?"

An amused look passed over BB's face. "If you really want."

"I do!"

"And if you promise not to tell anyone. Not even Matt."

Mello fell silent. "It's not..._illegal _or anything, right?" he said.

"No, not illegal, but probably bad enough that it would go down in Wammy history if anyone ever found out," BB answered.

Mello weighed his options. "All right. I won't tell. It'll be a secret between two best friends," he said.

BB nodded and continued to walk in his crouched position. "I found this a little over a year ago," he said, pushing a branch away from his path. "Ever since, my mind was plagued with the same question, over and over again: _What if?_"

Mello raised an eyebrow. "'What if' what?"

Beyond smiled. "What if someone escaped Wammy's?"

Mello's eyes widened at the thought and he said hurriedly, "What are you talking about?"

BB ignored him, clearing away more branches and finally stepping out of the forest, to a whole different place Mello never knew existed. The first thing that caught his attention was a hill that became steeper as it stretched out.

"There's an edge of a cliff up there," Beyond said.

The next big thing that stood out was a pile of stones stacked on top of each other, leaning against another hill opposite of the cliff. It looked like it was blocking something, like a cave or something akin to that.

Beyond walked forward, acting completely natural, to the stones.

"What is that?" Mello asked quietly.

Beyond put out his arms. "That, Mello, is our ticket to being free. Our ticket out of here, away from this horrid place."

Mello flinched. "Why would you want to do that?" he stammered.

BB turned to face him, lowering his arms. Still, his eyes glinted with something that resembled pure excitement. "Why would I want to do that? Simple. I don't want to become L's successor. I don't want to be unemotional. I want to be able to be happy, to be angry, to be affectionate. Wammy's is doing exactly the opposite of that. They're teaching us how to become geniuses, unfeeling geniuses." He placed his hands on Mello's shoulder. "You understand, right, Mello? You'll help me, right?"

"Help you with what?" Mello croaked.

Beyond smiled in satisfaction, pleased to have been asked the question. "You see that?" He pointed to the large mass of stones. "I've done a little research on it. Turns out, it used to be an emergency escape tunnel, in case someone were to ever infiltrate Wammy's. It leads directly to the nearest city. But when I was young, too young to remember this happening, there was an accident when two pyromaniac orphans decided to test their latest bombs in the tunnel. After detonation, the tunnel collapsed. The two orphans were killed, buried by an avalanche of rocks. The rocks also blocked the entrance to the tunnel, so when L found out, he gave orders to make sure no one else found out about this. They planted a whole section of trees just to cover it. Did you know, Mello, before they planted the trees and grew them, there used to be a huge playground here?" BB chuckled humorlessly.

"You found it, though," Mello said in a hollow voice. "And since the night you did, you've been coming back, trying to uncover the entrance so you could escape."

"Yes. And I've made progress, with the smaller rocks, at least. With your help, I could probably move them out of the way faster. Maybe I could even get Matt to--"

"No!" Mello cut him off abruptly, twisting out of his grip. "I'm not going to help you, and Matt's not going to, either!"

Beyond cocked his head to the side. "Hm, really? That's strange, I thought you'd be up for it. You seem to be the rebellious type."

"Wammy's isn't trying to make us unemotional geniuses, they're teaching us how to survive in the world. If we do get to succeed L, we can still keep feeling. We're not as weak as you think, Beyond."

"Please leave if you're not going to support me," BB said, waving a hand dismissively. "It only slows me down."

Mello bit his lip, then spun around and began to trudge back to Wammy's.

"And I appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this," BB called after him. "It is, after all, supposed to be a secret between best friends."

_He's crazy, _Mello thought angrily as he walked. _Even more crazier if he thinks he'll get Matt to help him. Matt's not that dumb. He's smart, like me. _He reached up to fiddle with his rosary anxiously. _Right?_


	10. Chapter 9: Almost

**{Chapter 9**: **Almost****}**

Morning arrived, signaling the sun to peek over the edge of the horizon, allowing just a little bit of light. At six am, Mello finally fell asleep after tossing and turning in his bed.

...

Matt woke up at his usual ten o'clock am schedule for a Saturday and glanced across his room, expecting his roommate to be asleep. Mello was always a lighter sleeper than him, waking up if there was so much as the sound of the door opening. To the redhead's surprise, his best friend was asleep soundly and failed to wake when Matt shuffled across the room and lightly poked his shoulder.

Chocolate roused from the foot of Matt's bed, lifting his head. He bounded over to Matt, enthusiastically wagging his tail. "Ssh," Matt said to the puppy. Returning his gaze to Mello, he smiled despite himself, finding the picture of the blond asleep and softly snoring quite...cute.

Matt blushed, mortified of his own thoughts. Mello didn't wake up still, so Matt picked Chocolate up and headed for the door. "Want some breakfast, boy?" he whispered to his pet. "I bet the kitchen will have some dog food."

It turned out, five minutes later, that in fact, the kitchen had no dog food or any type of food for animals whatsoever. "Oh, no," Matt said, pouting. "What'll I feed you?" He lifted Chocolate to his face, looking into the puppy's eyes. Chocolate barked and licked the boy's cheek. Matt giggled, setting the puppy down. So far, Chocolate hadn't needed his leash and Matt let the terrier trot around freely.

"Hello, Matt," one of the kitchen ladies greeted. "Is that puppy yours?" It was an old lady. Matt recalled her name to be Mrs. O. Of course, that wasn't her true name; everyone at Wammy's had an alias.

Matt nodded proudly. "Yep!" he chirped, walking over to the counter. Chocolate walked after him, tongue out no doubt sniffing the scent of food. "Mello gave him to me yesterday for my seventh birthday."

There was a flash of surprise across Mrs. O's face for a second--_since when did Mello give birthday present to his peers?_-- and she smiled kindly. "That was very nice of him," she commented. "Did he think to give you dog food?"

Matt chuckled slightly. "Nope. Do you have any?" he asked hopefully.

Mrs. O shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear, no we don't. I think I can ask Roger to get some, though, by this Friday. Until then, you can feed your dog some bacon." She handed Matt a Ziploc full of the meat from her place behind the counter.

"Thanks, Mrs. O." Matt brightened. "His name is Chocolate, by the way," he added as he opened the Ziploc and took out a strip of bacon. Down at his feet, Chocolate stopped sniffing his shoelaces and barked, pawing at his leg. "Here, boy." Matt lowered the strip and Chocolate jumped up a few inches to receive the food.

"Thanks again!" Matt called as he began to walk away. "See you soon." He led Chocolate out of the cafeteria, where a group of orphans were coming down to get breakfast. The younger ones squealed and immediately crowded Chocolate, who barked and approved of all the attention. Matt managed to evade the orphans and started to walk towards the staircases, heading to his and Mello's room. He cradled Chocolate in his arms, happily receiving constant licks on the cheek.

He bumped into someone just before he started to climb the second flight of stairs and fell to the floor on the impact. After making sure Chocolate was all right, he looked up at the person and realized it was Beyond Birthday. "Hi," Matt greeted with a wave.

BB smiled at him, putting out a hand to help his friend up. The goggled boy accepted it and got to his feet, setting Chocolate to the floor.

"Sorry, Matt." BB looked abashed.

"It's okay, BB," Matt answered. He took a step sideways to walk around BB, but the red-eyed boy stopped him.

"I was actually looking for you," Beyond said. "I was wondering if you would help me with something."

Matt looked curiously up at him with innocent eyes. Despite BB's slightly crouched position, Matt was still shorter. "What is it?"

"Well," Beyond began, "it's kind of a secret. Promise me you won't tell anyone about it!"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Not even Melly?"

"No, especially not Melly," BB replied honestly.

Matt adjusted his goggles. "Hm, okay. What is it?"

"We can't let anyone know it exists, so we'll have to wait until tonight when everyone's asleep," Beyond said.

"We're going to sneak out?" Matt's eyes widened. Excitement bubbled up inside of him.

Beyond grinned. "You guessed it. We're going to sneak out tonight, right around one o'clock. I'll come to your room and shine a flashlight underneath the door. You'll be able to see the light through the crack, and you'll know it's me."

Matt nodded, grinning back. "Okay!" He opened his mouth to ask a question, but a pair of footsteps becoming louder stopped him. He remembered this was supposed to be a secret, so he hushed up and looked up the stairs to the banister, where Mello was looking over. Matt smiled up at him. "Morning, Mel!" he called up cheerily.

Mello mirrored the smile, although it slightly faltered when he saw BB standing beside Matt. "Hey, Matt." And he added with a slightly sour tone, "Hey, B."

BB smiled, almost maliciously. "Mello." He turned to Matt. "I'll have to be going now. I've run out of jam and I intend to get more from the kitchen." He walked down the stairs and entered the cafeteria, the double doors sliding shut behind him.

They were alone now, Matt and Mello. Chocolate was sitting against Matt's ankle, half-dozed to sleep.

There was a second of silence and then Matt saw Mello sharply turn and walk down a set of stairs, hands noticeably clenched. The blond stopped in front of him. "What'd he want from you?" he asked.

Matt shrugged. "Something about his jam spilling in his room and now he has to get some more." But he was a bad liar.

Mello's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Matt confirmed, looking into Mello's eyes, hoping it would convince the suspicious blond.

Mello cocked his head to the side, golden hair falling into his eyes. Matt's heart skipped a beat when his best friend took a step closer, and for a second he was pretty sure Mello was leaning down and--

Chocolate barked, making Matt drop the bag of bacon in surprise. Mello stepped back quickly. It took the two boys a split second to realize what happened--and what almost happened-- and recover.

Mello laughed. "What's the bag of bacon for, Matty?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Matt pinkened, picking up the Ziploc bag. "They didn't have dog food," he mumbled. "Mrs. O gave me this as a substitute, then."

"I see," Mello said. He took Matt's hand and started to pull the redhead down the stairs, towards the cafeteria. "Well, come on," he said, glancing back. His voice was even and had a happy tone to it. "I'm hungry, and I smell chocolate pancakes."

* * *

**T.T **

**Tsk, tsk, tsk, Melly, you're too young for that. Haha. You two are only eight years old...**

**Have no fear! MxM will surely come in later chapters, and _possibly _MattxBB. Just, like, a little bit of it, though. It's necessary for the plot. **

**.A/F  
**


	11. Chapter 10: Change of Plans

**{Chapter 10: Change of Plans}**

Matt waited patiently for Mello, petting Chocolate in his lap. Mello was still wolfing down his third pancake, and finally, after disposing of his plate, the blond stood and motioned for Matt to follow him. Matt put Chocolate down and walked with Mello, trusting the brown terrier to follow. The pup did, barking enthusiastically as he danced around Matt's foot and occasionally ran into Mello's.

"Hey, let's play soccer!" Mello suggested, starting to run towards the soccer field. It was currently occupied with other orphans.

"W-wait!" Matt, who'd never been much of a runner, stumbled over his own feet as he tried to catch up with his friend. "Wait, Mello!" To his relief, Mello glanced back and grabbed his hand, laughing and pulling him along.

When they got to the soccer field, the other kids stopped playing and crowded around Mello. "Mello, you can be on my team!" one shouted.

Another said, "No way! You're already winning, he's on ours!"

Apparently Mello was popular with sports. Matt just stood there, unconsciously hugging Mello's arm, not comfortable with too many people surrounding him.

"Hey, it's the new kid," another orphan piped up. "Do you play?"

Matt didn't answer, clutching Mello's arm tighter.

The orphan tugged painfully at a strand of his red hair. "Ow!" Matt yelped, burrowing himself deeper into Mello's side.

"Hey, stop that," Mello said, swatting away the hand. "You don't touch him."

The crowd of kids went silent for a second, then another voice said, "Does he play?"

Mello looked down at the clinging redhead. "Wanna play, Matt?" he said, shaking his arm a bit.

Matt turned his head upwards. "B-but..."

"Aw, I play _your _games," Mello chided, a hint of pleading in his voice.

"I'll play," Matt finally said in defeat. "Can I be on your team?"

"No, the teams will be uneven!" An orphan shoved himself forward. Mello recognized him as Opal. "Mello can be on the other team, and what's-his-name can be on ours."

"My name's Matt," Matt supplied.

"Matt." Opal smiled. "You're on our team. All right, let's play!"

Mello tried to unlatch himself from Matt. "It's okay, Matty, Opal's nice. He'll teach you how to play. And try not to get in my way, 'kay?" Mello said.

Slowly, Matt nodded and let go of Mello's arm. He trudged to Opal, who gave him the position of goaly. "All you have to do," the raven-haired orphan said, "is block any balls that are coming. You can use your hands, feet, even your head. Anything to keep the ball out of the goal, okay?"

Matt nodded dumbly. As he took his place in front of the goal, he couldn't help but feel lost. He watched as the game started.

About a minute later, Matt spotted Mello dribbling the ball down the soccer field, easily dodging past others. Opal was on his heels along with the rest of his team, but they were a good few feet behind.

Then, sudden barking made Matt look over to the side. A little puppy was trotting near the sidelines.

_Chocolate! _Matt thought, remembering. He was worried the puppy would interfere, but Chocolate seemed to stay behind the sidelines.

Matt averted his attention to Mello, who was merely three feet away from him. He saw the look of concentration on the blond's face as Mello wound back his leg and kicked, hard. Matt's eyes widened at the ball that was getting bigger by the millisecond. He thought he saw the look of concentration turn into realization, then worry.

Matt thought something snapped in his chest and he inhaled sharply as the ball was rammed into his stomach. He stumbled back a few steps, the ball's impact leaving him dazed. Then he fell backwards, falling into the soft grass.

.

Mello realized it was Matt a second too late. He'd already kicked as hard as he could, and as he watched the ball land square in Matt's upper stomach, he thought, _Why did Opal make him goaly?_

"Matt!" He ran to his best friend, who was now laying gasping on the ground. "Are you okay?" It was a stupid question to ask.

Matt blinked up at him, trying to focus his vision. "Hurts..." he whimpered.

"Here, can you get up?" Mello lightly trailed his fingers over Matt's chest, pressing down slightly.

"N-no." Matt's eyes were teary and he stifled a pained sob.

Frantic, Mello helped Matt up to his feet, holding his arm to keep him steady. "I'll take him to the infirmary," he announced to the orphans who were led the limping Matt inside, murmuring 'sorry' all the while.

.

The news reached Beyond birthday about an hour later. Some of Matt's ribs had been severely injured, possibly broken. Either way, the redhead would have to stay in the infirmary for at least tonight.

BB sighed impatiently. There'd have to be a change of plans tonight.


End file.
